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lee · Messages: 23 Location: green bay area

This may get long but is funny. I was a rather lively little girl so my parents enrolled me in anything that might zap some of that energy out of me and put it to good use. Among other things they put me in dance class. I was a bit of a tomboy so I hated it. I think they were trying to girlie me up a little. Jazz and tap were ok. Ballet I hated. Those tight shoes and all that fluffy pink...Ahh yuck to a little butch girl in grade school. I hated performances because we had to wear those tutus. I felt like I was running around wearing a lampshade. However, I was very competitive so I had to try be the best. I could get on my toes and spin like the Tazmanian devil.

The Nutcracker Ballet came to the area and had auditions for little dancers to join them. My teacher suggested to my parents that I try out. I think she just did it for revenge because I was such a little pistol in her class. I reluctantly tried out and made it. It was grueling. We had practice every day after school for hours. I should have been honored. I didn't know any better. I locked into an attutude and held tight with it.

Our teacher was a great dancer, well known. Once again didn't know didn't care...attitude. She was Russian and in my memory very bitchy...IN RUSSIAN. She would yell at us and once in awhile had this stick and tapped us to stand taller point head whatever. I Never had a teacher with a STICK. None of us could understand her which pissed her off even more and we all stood there like deer in the headlights. I was more pissed than her tho. Didn't want to be there, my feet hurt and she was mean. I guess I snapped one day. It was closer to our performance time and she got a little meaner. She made one of my friends cry and almost made me cry too. Ok that's it!! I didn't know any russian but being 9 years old I did the best I could. I blasted her with a mouthful of flaming Italian.

If you can think of anything more fun than being alive, let me know what it is.

Lee

lee · Messages: 23 Location: green bay area

My great grandfather on my dad's side was from Italy. I have a big family who got together a lot. He was a very sweet man until he got mad. Then whoa baby!!! He would start yelling and mumbling in Italian. None of us little kids ever knew what he said but with the expressions of the adults and my grandmother doing the sign of the cross and mumbling then shushing him out, it wasn't good. You NEVER EVER repeated after Great Grandpa...EVER!!! Being the perfect example of the great American melting pot, the rest of the family is of Nordic and German decent. Pretty mellow. He stuck out like a loud sore thumb. I guess I emerged from his gene pool. My family is mostly fair skinned and mellow. Then there's me. Like I said the Tazmanian devil. I was darker complected with this giant head of curly dark hair, and like my Great Pa, louder than life when pissed off. I've mellowed a bit over the years.

On that day the mean Russian dance teacher got in my space, I violated the unwritten law. I quoted Great Grandpa. Rather loudly and with feeling I might add. He would have been proud, or scared of me. As I said she made my friend cry, and I was on the verge. No way was I going to show weakness and cry so I took all that energy and turned it into this mouthful of flaming nasty Italian words and shot it right at her. I guess she understood me, and what I said was really bad. She was speechless. Her eyes got huge and if fire could have shot out of them my head would be gone. She pointed to the side of the stage and I went and sat there until practice was over. When my parents showed up to get me they had a little talk. My dad just gave me "the look". Yikes! We had a birthday party at my grandparents that night and went right there from practice. I was glad because it would give my parents time to cool down before we got home. Maybe they would have so much fun and forget about it all together. Not, I was the talk of the party. I was feeling pretty bad and missunderstood for defending myself and my friend so I sat alone and watched TV most of the night to escape the looks from the grown ups. I was gettin' a little choked up. Before the end of the night my Great Pa came and sat down by me. He said nothing. I think he felt bad for getting me in trouble. I felt bad for getting him in trouble. He took my hand and filled it with tootsie rolls (my favorite), squeezed my shoulders, patted me on the head gave me a wink and walked out. I'm to this day not sure if that was an apology or an 'atta girl. I'll take it as the later.

So, I didn't get kicked off the Nutcracker. The performances went off well. I got to be a soldier rather that a sissy fluffy flower or princess. Lesson of the day. don't piss off the Russian dance lady and don't EVER quote your grandpa if you don't know what he said!!! To this day I don't know what I said to her. I'm afraid to ask. The Nutcracker is in town this week. Whenever I see the sign I think of that rebelious little girl and her great big Great Pa. I try to block out the mean Russian dance lady. Happy Holidays!!!!!

If you can think of anything more fun than being alive, let me know what it is.

Lee

Scarlett651 · Messages: 2266 Location: the porch

Oh Lee, a great story of memories!!
and hey...at least you got to be a soldier!
~~~
and i love that you put it in the gratitude journal!!

most of what i remember overhearing from the grown-ups is my mom repeating to my dad, 'you're children are in the room' after every story! LOL

We are not human beings making a spiritual journey...we are spiritual beings making a human journey.
~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
*******
"He lived happily ever after."
Willie Wonka

mish · Messages: 1033 Location: Southern California

great story lee...

since i'm half-italian, i can only imagine what you said, and am giggling while imagining!

peace, mish

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us....E.M.Forster

hecticeclectic · 15/12/2008 18:07:17 Subject: Almost got kicked off the Nutcracker

lee wrote:

I didn't know any russian but being 9 years old I did the best I could. I blasted her with a mouthful of flaming Italian.

Lee, rofflmao. You were a firecracker, eh?

...reminds me of the time I was to be confirmed at the Catholic church. I was what, 11ish or so. I had to wear this awful pristine white dress, and I wanted to wear my favorite blue jeans. I sat staunchly in my room and refused to put on that dress.

Now keep in mind this was the same year the movie The Exorcist came out. My parents would not let me see it, but I'd seen enough commercials and enough bad horror movies when they weren't looking to know "stuff".

My exasperated mother came into my room and begged, then ordered lol me to put on that dress. She said she had a present for me in her room. I sat down, stubborn as ever, in the hallway in front of her room and asked her to show me the present before I put on that dress. Mom went into her room and returned with a gold cross. Ever the B grade horror movie fan, I very melodramatically thrust my arm across my face and said, "No, take it away. I can't stand it." Then I uncovered my face and said matter-of-factly, "Guess that means I can't be confirmed." I just KNEW I had outsmarted my mother.

Long story short, I ended up being confirmed in that horrible white dress. I still have the pics of me, my face red from crying. I do not know Russian or Italian, but I do know I can't outsmart Mama Bear.

lee wrote:

I've mellowed a bit over the years.

I haven't lol.

Thanks for the laughs.

Peace, Jo

Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?" And you'll see how everything changes.
And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, THE LITTLE PRINCE